1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for placing and retrieving safety cones, barrels, signs, barriers and other devices used as part of construction or maintenance projects on highways, roadways, streets, and parking lots that improves operator safety and efficiency.
2. Description of Related Art
Operator safety is a frequently encountered problem in highway and roadway construction projects. Safety barrels, cones, signs, barriers, and other devices are typically used to section off parts of roads where construction or maintenance projects are underway or about to be commenced to help insure the safety of workers in the work zone, to inform drivers of the construction or maintenance project, and to keep unauthorized vehicles out of the work zone. Typically, the placement of these barrels, cones, signs, barriers, and other devices is done by a combination of a truck and at least one worker walking on the road alongside the truck, with another worker in the bed or back of the truck handing the barrels, cones, signs, or other devices down to the worker on the road where they are set in place. Retrieval of these traffic devices is typically done in the same manner. However, there are safety concerns with the worker on the road, outside of the truck, as that worker is at increased risk of being hit by a passing vehicle. Additionally both workers, the one in the back or bed of the truck and the one on the road, are at increased risk of injury given the height from or to which these traffic devices have to be manually lowered or raised to get them from the truck to the road and back, particularly with some of the heavier traffic devices, such as barrels. Additionally, it takes substantial time for workers to walk alongside the truck while placing or retrieving these traffic devices, which adds to the amount of time the worker is at risk, as well as, increases the overall time the road is closed or partially blocked for completion of the construction project and placing and retrieving the traffic control devices.
One system for improving worker safety and decreasing the time for placing and retrieving these traffic devices is an automated conveyor type system, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,581,918 and U.S. Application Pub. No. 2010/0290880. These automated systems have the advantage of requiring fewer workers, although they do not eliminate the need for workers to be present on the truck to load or unload the traffic devices from the conveyor system and to correct any misalignment or jammed equipment during operation. They also have the drawbacks of having more mechanical parts that could become jammed or stop working during the placement or retrieval of these traffic devices and no satisfactory way of up-righting any traffic devices that fall over during placement.
The system described in the '918 patent includes mechanisms to prevent the traffic devices from toppling or becoming misaligned, including guide rails and a topple-bar, but the topple bar has to be changed out with a topple bar of a different design to accommodate different sizes and shapes of traffic devices, such as cones with a lamp or beacon secured to the top of the cone. While the system described in the '918 patent indicates it may be used for any type of traffic device, it would require substantial modification to accommodate traffic devices, such as barrels and signs, that are substantially larger than or of substantially different shape than typical traffic cones, making it impractical to use in situations where different types of traffic devices are needed. In order to retrieve the traffic devices using the automated system described in the '918 patent, the truck is required to drive in reverse, which increases the danger of an accident and the possibility of traffic devices being skipped if the truck is not properly aligned with the traffic devices.
The system described in U.S. Application Pub. No. 2010/0290880 is suitable for use with barrels, but not cones and other lighter weight traffic devices, such as signs. Additionally, the system protrudes beyond the sides of the truck to which it is mounted, making the overall size of the vehicle much wider than usual. This increased width makes it more difficult for the truck to maneuver in tight construction areas and is more dangerous for passing vehicles.
Another system for improving worker safety and decreasing the time for placing these traffic devices is an automated drop type system, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,582. This system has the benefit of being attachable to any vehicle, but is limited to use with a particular type of flexible cone and does not accommodate barrels and other traffic devices. Additionally, this system is not suitable for retrieving cones, only placing them.
Several other systems with automated features are also known. These systems are available from Traf-tech (www.traftech.net), Innovative Equipment and Centreville Manufacturing, Inc. (www.innovativequip.com and www.centervilletrailer.com), SafeTcone (www.safetcone.com), and Epic Solutions (www.epicsolutions.us). These systems have many of the benefits and drawbacks of other automated systems. Although some of these systems may be mounted to existing truck or trailers, many of these systems are integrated into a heavy duty trucks and are therefore large and expensive pieces of equipment. These automated systems are suitable only for use with cones and not other traffic devices.
Innovative Equipment and Centreville Manufacturing, Inc. (www.innovativequip.com and www.centervilletrailer.com), also offer a trailer (the Workzone Safety Trailer) for use in the manual placement and retrieval of barrels, cones, and other traffic devices that has the benefit of not requiring a worker to be walking on the roadway. However, there are several drawbacks to this trailer system. For example, the operator has to manually lift heavy traffic devices, such as barrels, to place and retrieve them from the roadway, the operator is located at the rear end of the trailer where many vehicle collisions occur, and the trailer lacks many safety features for the operator.